<i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes
Melanin, which is a pigment produced in melanocytes, is an important contributor to sea cucumber body color. <i>MITF</i> is one of the most critical genes in melanocyte development and melanin synthesis pathways. However, how <i>MITF</i> regulates body color and differentiati...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| author | Lili Xing Shilin Liu Libin Zhang Hongsheng Yang Lina Sun |
| author_facet | Lili Xing Shilin Liu Libin Zhang Hongsheng Yang Lina Sun |
| author_sort | Lili Xing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Melanin, which is a pigment produced in melanocytes, is an important contributor to sea cucumber body color. <i>MITF</i> is one of the most critical genes in melanocyte development and melanin synthesis pathways. However, how <i>MITF</i> regulates body color and differentiation in sea cucumbers is poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the expression level and location of MITF in white, purple, and green sea cucumbers and identified the genes regulated by MITF using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing. The mRNA and protein expression levels of MITF were all highest in purple morphs and lowest in white morphs. In situ hybridization indicated that MITF mRNA were mainly expressed in the epidermis. We also identified 984, 732, and 1191 peaks of MITF binding in green, purple, and white sea cucumbers, which were associated with 727, 557, and 887 genes, respectively. Our findings suggested that <i>MITF</i> contributed to the body color differentiation of green, purple, and white sea cucumbers through expression differences and regulation of downstream genes. These results provided a basis for future studies to determine the mechanisms underlying body color formation and provided insights into gene regulation in sea cucumbers. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T05:27:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-2299f224ce5a45cc83dc5d9f1aaad57a2023-09-03T07:09:54ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372022-12-01121110.3390/biology12010001<i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream GenesLili Xing0Shilin Liu1Libin Zhang2Hongsheng Yang3Lina Sun4CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, ChinaMelanin, which is a pigment produced in melanocytes, is an important contributor to sea cucumber body color. <i>MITF</i> is one of the most critical genes in melanocyte development and melanin synthesis pathways. However, how <i>MITF</i> regulates body color and differentiation in sea cucumbers is poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the expression level and location of MITF in white, purple, and green sea cucumbers and identified the genes regulated by MITF using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing. The mRNA and protein expression levels of MITF were all highest in purple morphs and lowest in white morphs. In situ hybridization indicated that MITF mRNA were mainly expressed in the epidermis. We also identified 984, 732, and 1191 peaks of MITF binding in green, purple, and white sea cucumbers, which were associated with 727, 557, and 887 genes, respectively. Our findings suggested that <i>MITF</i> contributed to the body color differentiation of green, purple, and white sea cucumbers through expression differences and regulation of downstream genes. These results provided a basis for future studies to determine the mechanisms underlying body color formation and provided insights into gene regulation in sea cucumbers.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/1sea cucumberbody color<i>MITF</i>ChIP-seqgene expressiongene regulation |
| spellingShingle | Lili Xing Shilin Liu Libin Zhang Hongsheng Yang Lina Sun <i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes Biology sea cucumber body color <i>MITF</i> ChIP-seq gene expression gene regulation |
| title | <i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes |
| title_full | <i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes |
| title_fullStr | <i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes |
| title_short | <i>MITF</i> Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes |
| title_sort | i mitf i contributes to the body color differentiation of sea cucumbers i apostichopus japonicus i through expression differences and regulation of downstream genes |
| topic | sea cucumber body color <i>MITF</i> ChIP-seq gene expression gene regulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/1/1 |
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